Skirting for mobile homes



M. F. HINDMAN SKIRTING FOR MOBILE HOMES Nov. 3, 1370 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Oct. 31, 1968 nuM.. RAM

O Tm m VM NWfN #HMM N.. K /M ,n l OL M y A l 101 6 w United StatesPatent O 3,537,218 SKIRTING FOR MOBILE HOMES Milo F. Hindman, Evergreen,Centralia, Ill. 62801 Filed Oct. 31, 1968, Ser. No. 772,271 Int. Cl.E04b 2/82; E04d 3/365 U.S. Cl. 52-169 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A skirting, for the space between the lower edge of a mobilehome and the ground, has a number of panels which are held by attachingclips that are secured to panel supports which extend between that loweredge and the ground. The panels are made of relatively thin material, sothey can be light in weight and so they can be bowed to facilitate theready insertion of the upper and lower edges thereof into notchesdefined by the attaching clips; but the upper and lower edges of thosepanels have anchoring portions which will engage shoulders in thosenotches to prevent accidental separation of those panels from thoseattaching clips. The attaching clips can be set at different levelsrelative to the panel supports; and hence those attachin-g clips candefine constant-level lines even though the panel supports must differin length to accommodate different distances between the lower edge of amobile home and the ground. The attaching clips can be set to permit thelower edges of the panels to overlap, but to be spaced short distancesoutwardly of, the upper edges of the next-lower panels, therebyminimizing drafts in the space .between the bottom of the mobile homeand the ground while permitting the skirting to breathe Notches andslots are formed in some of -the panels to permit those panels to bebent to define the corners of the skirting; and those panels minimizedrafts at the corners of the skirting, and also provide an attractiveappearance for those corners. The panel supports include posts whichhave elongated recesses that accommodate rods and helical compressionsprings; and those helical compression springs urge the lower ends ofthose rods into engagement with the ground and urge the upper ends ofthose posts into holding engagement with the lower edge of the mobilehome. The upper ends of the rods extend several inches up into the lowerends of the helical compression springs; and hence the posts can closelyconfine the rods even where the lower ends of the helical compressionsprings are close to the lower ends of the posts.

This invention relates to improvement in skirting for mobile homes. Moreparticularly, this invention relates to improvements in panel supportsand panels for the skirting for mobile homes.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide animproved panel and an improved panel `support for the skirting formobile homes.

In many climates it is desirable to enclose the space between the bottomof a mobile home and the ground; and a number of skirtings have beendeveloped for the purpose of filling that space. It would be desirableto provide a skirting which was light in weight and which could beinstalled readily, bu-t which would not come apart even when subjectedto high winds. The present invention provides such a skirting; and itdoes so by providing a skirting which has attaching clips that aresecured to panel supports and that secure panels to those panelsupports. The panels are made of relatively thin material, so they canbe light in weight and so they can be bowed to facilitate the readyinsertion of the upper and lower edges thereof into notches defined bythe attaching clips;

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but the upper and lower edges of those panels have anchoring portionswhich will engage shoulders in those notches to prevent accidentalseparation of those panels from those attaching clips. As a result, theskirting provided by the present invention can be light in weight andcan be installed readily but will not come apart even when subjected tohigh winds. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention toprovide a skirting for mobile homes which has panels that are made ofrelatively thin material, and that have anchoring por-tions on the-upper and lower edges thereof which will engage shoulders in notchesdefined by attaching clips.

The attaching clips, of the skirting provided by the present invention,can be set at different levels relative to the panel supports; and hencethose attaching clips can define constant-level lines even though thepanel supports must differ in length to accommodate diierent distancesbetween the lower edge of a mobile home and the ground. Thoseconstant-level lines are desirable, because they enable the panels to behorizontal. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention toprovide attaching clips which can be set at different levels relative tothe panel supports.

The attaching clips can be set to permit the lower edges of the panelsto overlap, but to be spaced short distances outwardly of, the upperedges of the next-lower panels. The overlapping of the upper edges ofpanels by the lower edges of the next-higher panels is desirable,because it minimizes drafts in the space between the bottom of themobile home and the ground. The spacing of the lower edges of the panelsshort distances outwardly of the upper edges of the next-lower panels isdesirable, because it permits the skirting to breathe. It is, therefore,an object of the present invention to provide attaching clips whichpermit the lower edges of panels to overlap, but to be spaced shortdistances outwardly of, the upper edges of the next-lower panels.

Notches and slots are formed in some of Ithe panels, of the skirtingprovided by the present invention; and those notches and slots permitthose panels to be bent to dene the comers of the skirting. Those panelsminimize drafts at the corners of the skirting, and also provide anattractive appearance for those corners. It is, therefore, an object ofthe present invention to provide panels which have notches and slotstherein to enable those panels to be bent to define the corners of askirting for the space between the lower edge of a mobile home and theground.

The panel supports include posts which have elongated recesses thataccommodate rods and helical compression springs; and those helicalcompression springs urge the lower ends of those rods into engagementwith the ground and urge the upper ends of those posts into holdingengagement with the lower edge of the mobile home. The upper ends of therods extend several inches up into the lower ends of the helicalcompression springs; and hence the posts can closely confine those -rodseven where the lower ends of the helical compression springs are closeto the lower ends of the posts. It is, therefore, an object of thepresent invention to provide panel supports which include recessedposts, helical compression springs within the recesses in those posts,and rods which have the upper ends thereof extending several inches upinto the lower ends of those helical compression springs.

lOther and further objects and advantages of the present inventionshould become apparent from an examination of the drawing andaccompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is shown and described but it is to be understoodthat the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose ofillustration only and do not limit the invention and that the inventionwill be defined by the appended claims.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of part of a mobilehome and part of the skirting for the space between the lower edge ofthat mobile home and the ground,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of part of the mobile home and part ofthe skirting shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a front elevational View, on a larger scale, of one of thepanel supports of the skirting shown in FIGS. l and 2, and it shows partof the lower edge of the mobile home in section,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 3, of the panelsupport shown in FIG. 3 after panels have been assembled with that panelsupport, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the brokenline 4 4 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational View, on the scale of FIG. 3, of the panelsupport shown in FIG. 3 after panels have been assembled with that panelsupport, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the brokenline 5 5 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a broken sectional view, on a still larger scale, through thepanel support shown in FIG. 3, before panels have been assembled withthat panel support, and it is taken along the plane indicated by theline 6 6 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 7 is a sectional View, on the scale of FIG. 6, after panels havebeen assembled with the panel support of FIG. 3, and it is taken along aplane indicated by an upward extension of the line 6 6 in FIG. 3,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 6, through the panelsupport of FIG. 3, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line8 8 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is another sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 6, through thepanel support of FIG. 3, and it is taken along the plane indicated bythe line 9 9 in FIG. 6,

FIG. 10 is a broken, front elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 6, ofone of the attaching clips secured to the panel support in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view, on a scale larger than that ofFIGS. 1 and 2 but smaller than that of FIG. 3, of part of one of thepanels shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral denotes the lower edgeof a mobile home; and that lower edge s usually defined by a yieldablematerial such as wood, hardboard, 0r the like. The numeral 22 generallydenotes a post; and the cross-sectional configuration of that post isshown particularly by FIGS. 8 and 9. That post is preferably made as anextrusion; and it has a wall 24 with a rearwardly-extending flange26`and a forwardly-extending flange 28. As shown particularly by FIGS. 8and 9, the flanges 26 and 28 are located at the opposite edges of thewall 24, and they are disposed at right angles to the plane of thatwall. A lip 30 extends along the front edge of the flange 28; and thatlip is parallel to, and is co-extensive with, part of the wall 24, andit coacts with that part of that wall and with the flange 28 to definean elongated recess. The numeral 32 denotes a second wall which lies inthe plane of the wall 24 but which is spaced away from that wall. Aflange 34 extends rearwardly from one edge of the wall 32, and a flange36 extends forwardly from the opposite edge of that wall; and thoseangesare disposed at right angles to the plane of that wall. A lip 38 isformed on the front edgeI of the flange 36; and that lip extends toward,and lies in the plane of, the lip 30, and it coacts with the Wall 32 andthe flange 36 to define an elongated recess.

The iiange 26 and the flange 34 are in register with each other but theyare spaced apart; and those flanges are held in vspaced relationship bythe wall of a sleeve 40 which has an elongated slot 42 therein. Thatslot is opposite that portion of the wall of that sleeve which holds theflanges 26 and 34 in spaced relation. The post 22 can be made of anysuitable length, but it will usually have a length in the range oftwelve to forty-four inches. Where that post is made as an extrusion, it.can be cut to length by a suitable cut-off tool adjacent the extrusiondie; or it can subsequently be cut to length by a suitable punching orsawing operation. As the post 22 is cut to length, the `bottom thereofwill be cut to define a plane which is at right angles to the planedefined by the Walls. 24 and 32, but the upper end of that post will becut to define two prongs 44; and those prongs are shown particularly byFIG. 3. Those prongs are sharp enough and sturdy enough to readilypenetrate the material which defines'the ylower edge 20 of the mobilehome. Abutments 46 are formed on the post 22 adjacent the lower ends ofthe prongs 44, and those abutments extend inwardly beyond theconfronting edges of the lips 30 and 38 on that post. Those abutmentsare shown by FIGS. 3 and 7; and they constitute a restriction at theupper end of the space defined by-the lips 30 and 38.

The post 22 preferably is made from a material which isreadily extruded,which is resistant to corrosion, and which is relatively inexpensive.One material which has been found to be very suitable for the post 22 isaluminum.

The numeral 50 generally denotes anl attaching clip; and the details ofthat attaching clip are shown particularly by FIGS. 7 and l0. Thatattaching clip has an ear 52 which inclines forwardly and upwardly fromthe upper edge thereof, and that ear has a reentrant bend therein whichdefines a notch 54. A shoulder 53 is provided within the notch 54defined by the ear 52, as shown particularly by FIGS. 6 and 7. Theattaching clip 50 has an ear 56 thereon which inclines forwardly anddownwardly from the lower edge thereof; and that ear has a reentrantbend therein which defines a notch 58. A shoulder 57 is provided withinthe notch 58 defined by the ear 56, as shown particularly by FIGS. 6 and7. As shown particularly by FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, the ear 52 is shorter thanthe ear 56; and the notch 54 in the ear 52 opens downwardly whereas thenotch 58 in the ear 56 opens upwardly. The attaching clip 50 has an ear60 extending forwardly from the midportion thereof; and that ear isL-shaped in side view to define a notch 62. That notch opens upwardlyand confronts the notch 54 defined by the ear 52.

The attaching clip 50 is made wider than the shortest distance betweenthe inner face of the flange 28 and the confronting face of the lip 38,but is made narrower than the shortest distance between the confrontingfaces of the anges 28 and 36. The ears S2 and 56 are made narrower thanthe shortest distance between the confronting faces of the lips 30 and38; and hence `the attaching clip 50 can have the edges thereoftelescoped into the elongated recesses defined by wall 24, flange 28 andlip 30 and by wall 32, flange 36 and lip 38. As shown particularly byFIGS. 6-9, the ears 52 and 56 extend forwardly beyond the-outer faces ofthe lips 30 and 38. l t

Opening 64 and 66 are formed in the attaching clip 50; and the opening64 is located between the ears 52 and 60, while the opening 66 islocated between the ears 56 and 60. Theopenings 64 and 66 are located sothey will be in register with the elongated space defined by theconfronting faces of the flanges 26 and 34 whenever the attaching clip50 is assembled with the post 22.

The numeral denotes an attaching clip which is shorter than theattaching clip 50; and the attaching clip 70 is shown by FIGS. 3 and 6.The attaching clip 70 has an ear 52 which is identical to the ear 52onthe attaching clip 50; and the ear 52 on the attaching clip 70 has areentrant bend which defines a notch 52. A shoulder 53 is providedwithin the notch54 defined by the ear 52,V as shown particularly by FIG.6. The attaching clip 70 also has an ear 60 which extends forwardly fromthat clip. p

to define a notch 62; and the notch 62 opens upwardly to confront thenotch 54. The attaching clip 70 has an.

opening 64 therein; and that opening is located between the ears 52 and60. The opening 6.4 is located so it `will be disposed in register withthe elongated space defined by the confronting faces of the flanges 26and 34 whenever the attaching clip 70 is assembled with the post 22. Theattaching clip 70 can be made by cutting away the lower portion of anattaching clip 50.

The numeral 74 denotes a self-tapping screw; and that screw isdimensioned so the shank thereof can readily extend through either ofthe openings 64 and 66 but the head thereof cannot extend through thatopening. The thread on the shank of the self-tapping screw 74 can biteinto the confronting faces of the anges 26 and 34 of the post 22, andthus can secure that self-tapping screw to that extrusion. Where theshank of the self-tapping screw 74 is passed through the opening 64 orthe opening 66 of an attaching clip 50 before the thread on that shankis caused to bite into the confronting surfaces of the tlanges 26 and 34of the post 22, that self-tapping screw can fixedly secure thatattaching clip to that post. Similarly, where the shank of theself-tapping screw 74 is passed through the opening 64 of an attachingclip 70 before the thread on that shank is caused to bite into theconfronting surfaces of the anges 26 and 34 of the post 22, thatself-tapping screw can fixedly secure that attaching clip to that post.Because the space defined by the confronting faces of the anges 26 and34 of the post 22 is as long as that post, the self-tapping screw 74 canbe locked in position at any desired point along the length of thatpost. Consequently, self-tapping screws 74 can be used to secure theattaching clips 50 and 70 at any desired points along the length of thepost 22.

The numeral 78 denotes a nut which is dimensioned to fit within thesleeve 40; and that nut will be telescoped into that sleeve through oneof the ends of that sleeve. A wing bolt 80 has the shank thereofextending through the elongated slot 42 of the sleeve 40 and into thethreaded opening in the nut 78. Tightening of that wing bolt will movethe end of the shank of that wing bolt into engagement with the portionof the sleeve 40 that spaces the flanges 26 and 34 apart, and also willforce the edges of the nut 78 into engagement with the interior of thatsleeve. Consequently, tightening of that wing bolt will xedly lock thatwing bolt and the nut 78 in position within the sleeve 40. However,loosening of that wing bolt will permit that wing bolt and the nut 78 tobe shifted to any desired position along the length of that sleeve.

The numeral v82 denotes an elongated rod which has stops 90 punchedoutwardly from the opposite sides thereof adjacent the lower endthereof; and that rod also has stops 92 punched outwardly from theopposite sides thereof about four and one-half inches below the upperend thereof. The rod 82 has a diameter which is smaller than the innerdiameter of the sleeve 40 but which is larger than the width of theelongated slot 42 in that sleeve. The stops 92 are dimensioned to extendtoward, but to stop short of, the inner surface of the sleeve 40; andhence those stops permit the rod 82 to be telescoped within that sleeve,as shown particularly by FIG. 6. A foot 86 has a opening 87 therein,which telescopes upwardly over the lower end of the rod 82; and thatopening permits the upper surface of that foot to be moved upwardly intoengagement with the stops 90. The foot 86 will preferably be made fromsheet metal, and it will preferably be made with downwardly-bent corners88. After the opening 87 in the foot 86 has been telescoped upwardlyover the lower end of the rod 82, that lower end will be planished, asindicated by the numeral 84, to make the transverse dimension of thatlower end longer than the diameter of the opening 87 in the foot 86. Asa result, the planishing of the lower end of the rod 82 will hold thefoot 86 in assembled relation with that rod.

The numeral 94 denotes an elongated helical compression spring which isdimensioned to telescope into the sleeve 40; and that spring has aninner diameter which is dimensioned to acommodate the upper end of therod 82. The upper end of the spring 94 bears against the nut 78, and thelower end of that spring bears against the stops 92; and that springwill bias the rod 82 for movement downwardly relative to the sleeve 40.However, that spring can be compressed to permit the rod 82 to be movedupwardly relative to the sleeve 40. The amount of force which thehelical compression spring 94 will apply to the rod 82 will be afunction of the position of the nut 78 relative to the sleeve 40 and afunction of the extent to which the rod 82 is telescoped within thatsleeve. The stops 92 permit the upper end of the rod 82 to telescopeabout four and one-half inches into the helical compression spring 94;and hence as much as four and one-half inches of the rod 82 will -beco-extensive with the helical compression spring 94 and the sleeve 40,even where the lower end of the spring 94 is adjacent the lower end ofthe sleeve 40. This is important; because it means that the sleeve 40 ofpost 22 will provide full and adequate support for the rod 82, even ifthat rod projects below the lower end of the post 22 so far that thelower end of the helical compression 94 is adjacent the lower end of thesleeve 40.

The post 22, several attaching clips 50, an attaching clip 70, severalself-tapping screws 74, the nut 78, the wing bolt 80, the rod 82, thefoot 86, and the helical cornpression spring 94 constitute an extendableand retractable panel support. The prongs 44 at the upper end of thatpanel support will be forced to penetrate the material which forms thelower edge 20V of the mobile home; and the downwardly-bent corners 88 ofthe foot 66 will tend to penetrate the ground, as shown by FIG. 6. Thepenetration of the ground by those corners will coact with thepenetration of the material which defines the lower edge 20 of themobile home to hold the panel support xed relative to that lower edge ofthat mobile home. If the lower edge 20 of the mobile home moves up ordown relative to the ground, due to frost-induced heaving or due todrouth-induced shrinkage, the helical compression spring 94 will holdthe downwardly-bent corners 88 of the foot 86 solidly in engagement withthe ground, while also holding the prongs 44 solidly in engagement withthat lower edge. The overall result is that once the panel supportprovided by the present invention has been set in engagement with thelower edge 20 of a mobile home and the ground, that panel support willremain solidly in engagement with that lower edge until it is desirableto remove that panel support.

The numeral 98 generally denotes one of the panels which is used to formthe skirting that bounds the space between the lower edge 20 of themobile home and the ground. That panel will be long and narrow-usuallybeing about ten feet long and about six and one-half inches wide. Thatpanel has a flat central portion 100, and it has a shallow, arcuategroove 102 along the center line of that at central portion. An offset104 inclines forwardly and upwardly from the upper edge of the flatcentral portion and an offset 106 inclines forwardly and downwardly fromthe lower edge of that tlat central portion. A flat portion 108 extendsupwardly from the 01T- set 104, and that flat portion lies in a planewhich is parallel to, but spaced forwardly of, the flat central portion100. A portion 110 inclines upwardly and rearwardly from the upper edgeof the at portion 108; and a flat portion i112 extends upwardly from theupper edge of the inclined portion 110. The flat portion '112 lies in aplane which is parallel to, but spaced rearwardly of, the at centralportion 100. An anchoring portion 114 inclines forwardly and upwardlyfrom the upper edge of the flat portion 112; and that upper edge andthat anchoring portion extend upwardly into the notch 54 defined by thereentrant bend in the ear 52 on the attaching clip 50. The anchoringportion 114 extends above and overlies the shoulder 53 in the notch S4.The numeral 116 denotes a flat portion which extends downwardly from theoffset 106, and that portion lies in the plane of the flat portion 108.A portion 118 inclines downwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge ofthe ilat portion 116; and a flat portion 120 extends downwardly from thelower edge of the inclined portion 118. The at portion 120 lies in theplane of the flat portion 112; and an anchoring projection 122 inclinesdownwardly and forwardly from the lower edge of the flat portion 120.The lower edge of the fiat portion 120 and the anchoring portion 122extend downwardly into the notch -58 defined by the reentrant bend inthe ear 56 on the attaching clip 50. The anchoring portion '122 extendsbelow and underlies the shoulder 57 in the notch 58.

The panel 98 is made of relatively thin gauge metal, and it hasappreciable bends therein intermediate the portion 108 and the portion|110 and intermediate the portion 116 and the portion 118; and hencethat panel can be readily bowed to facilitate the insertion of the upperand lower edges thereof into the notches 54 and 58, respectively,defined by the ears 52 and 56. After the upper and lower edges of thepanel 98 have been disposed within the notches 54 and 58, respectively,defined by the ears 52 and 56, the force which was used to bow thatpanel will be released; and then the restorative forces within thatpanel will tend to hold those upper and lower edges within thosenotches. At such time, the anchoring portion 114 will overlie andconfront the shoulder 53 in the notch 54; and the anchoring portion 122will underlie and confront the shoulder S7 in the notch 56.

The numeral 123 generally denotes a panel which is identical to thepanel 98, except for the fact that the panel 123 has a notch 124 in theupper edge thereof, has a notch i126 in the lower edge thereof, and hasa narrow slot 128y between and in register with the notches 124 andi126. The notch 124 extends through the anchoring portion 114, the flatportion 112 and the upwardly and rearwardly inclined portion 110 of thepanel 123, the notch 126 extends through the anchoring portion 122, thefiat portion 120 and the rearwardly and downwardly inclined portion 1|18of` that panel, and the slot 122 extends through the groove '102, theoffsets 104 and 106, and the at central portion 100 of that panel. Thosenotches and that slot defines a bend line for the panel 123, and thatbend line enables that panel to have a portion thereof bent at ninetydegrees to the rest of that panel; and hence the notches 124 and 126 andthe slot 128 facilitate the bending of the panel 123 to form a cornerpanel. The fiat portions 108 and 116 of the panel 123 will hold the twobent portions of that panel in assembled relation, and will enable thatpanel to be strong despite the presence therein of the notches 1124 and126 and of the slot 128. In one preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the notches 124 and 126 and the slot 128 are spaced four feetfrom one end of the panel 123 and are spaced six feet from the other endof that panel. Such spacing is very desirable; because it makes the fourfoot portion of the panel 123 equal to one-half of the width of an eightfoot wide mobile home, because it makes the six foot portion of thatpanel equal to one-half of the width of a twelve foot wide mobile home,and because it enables the four foot portion lof one panel 123 and thesix foot portion of another panel 123 to equal the width of a ten footwide mobile home.

The numeral 130 denotes a panel which closely resembles the upper halfof the panel 98. Specifically, the panel 130 has an anchoring portion114, a flat portion 112, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined portion1,10, a flat portion 108, and an offset 104. However, instead of havinga fiat central portion identical to the fiat central portion 100 of thepanel 98, the panel 130 has a flat portion 132 which extends downwardlyfrom the lower edge of the offset 104. Also, instead of having thearcuate groove 102 of the panel 98, the panel 130 has an arcuate loweredge 134. The anchoring portion 114 of the panel 130 is dimensioned toextend into the notch 54 defined by the reentrant bend of the ear 52 onan attaching front the shoulder 53 in that notch. The arcuate lower edge134 of the panel 130 is 'dimensioned to extend into the notch 62 definedby the ear 60 on the attaching clipA 70. The panel is approximatelythree and one quarter inches wide, and thus can be used to fit into agap which is too narrow to receive one of the panels 98.

Where a panel 130 is to be used as a corner panel, a

notch, similar to the notch 124, will be formed in the upper edge ofthat panel; and a slot, similar to the upper portion of the slot 128,will be formed in the lower edge of that panel. The portion 108 of 'acorner panel 130 will hold the two bent portion of that panel at thedesired angle, and will provide the desired strength for that cornerpanel.

For convenience and economy of manufacture, the panels 130 can be madeby severing panels 98l along the center lines of the latter panels.Specifically, a scoring line can be formed along the bottom of theshallow, arcuate groove 102 in a panel 98; and then that panel can besubdivided along that scoring line to form two panels 123. By severing apanel 98 to form two panels 123, the cost of making and maintainingseparate rolls for the latter panels is obviated.

, The outer faces of the panels 98, 123 and 130 will preferably beoverlain by a protective coating. In one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the outer surfaces of those panels are overlain by ahard, weather-resistant enamel. Also, the surfaces of the attachingclips 50 and 70 are preferably overlain by a protective coating; and, inthe said preferred embodiment of the present invention, those attachingclips are overlain by a hard, weatherresistant enamel.

The extendable panel supports and the panels provided by the presentinvention can 'be stored and shipped economically. Specifically, each ofthe posts 22 can have a number of attaching clips 50, or can have anumber of attaching clips 50 plus an attaching clip 7 0, in thechannellike space dened by the walls 24 and 32, the anges 28 and 36, andthe lips 30 and 38; and hence those posts and those attaching clips willoccupy a minimum of space. The abutments 46 at the upper end of the post22 will automatically keep the uppermost attaching clip 50 from fallingout of the channel-like space defined by the walls 24 and 312, the anges28 and 36, and the lips 30 and 38 during assembly. After sufiicientattaching clips 50, or a number of attaching clips 50 plus an attachingclip 70, have been inserted in the channel-like space defined by thewalls 24 and 32,'the fianges 28 and 36, and the lips 30 and 38 to makethose attaching clips essentially coextensive with the` length of thepost 22, a self-tapping screw 74 can be passed through the opening 64 inthe lowennost ,of the attaching clips to temporarily keep thoseattaching clips from accidentally ibecoming separated lfrom that post.The panels 98 can be nested, one within the other; and, similarly, thepanels 130 can be nested one within the other. Also, the corner panels123, and any corner panels similar to the panel 130, can lbe nestedwithin each other. The rest of the self-tapping screws 74 can beenclosed within a suitable bag or box, as can the nuts 78 and the wingbolts :80. Ihe helical compression springs `94 can be disposed withinthe sleeves 40 of the posts 22; and the upper ends of those sleeves canbe partially closed, as shown particularly by FIG. 7, to keep thosesprings from sliding out of those upper ends. The rods 82 and the feet86 can be packagedseparately.

To erect a s-kirting around the space between the lower edge 20 of amobile home and the ground, posts 22 of the desired length will beselected; and then attaching clips 50, or attaching clips 50 plusattaching clips 70, will beA suitably spaced along the lengths of thoseposts. Those attaching clips will be fixed relative to ythose posts bycausing the Shanks of the self-tapping screws 74 to pass through theopenings 64 and 66 of the uppermost and lowermost attaching clips and tobite into the confronting faces of the flanges 26 and 34. Because theears 52 vof the attaching clips 50 `incline outwardly and upwardly fromthe upper edges of those clips, it is possible to have the upper ends ofthe notches 54 of the uppermost attaching clips 50 extend to the levelof the abutments 46, and lbe immediately adjacent the lower edge of themobile home. This is desirable; because it enables the skirting tosubstantially prevent drafts close to that lower edge. On the otherhand, if desired, the uppermost clip 50 on each post 22 could be set inthe position indicated by FIGS. 3-5 and 7, wherein the upper edge of theear 52 is spaced a short distance below the lower edge 20 of the mobilehome. Also, the positions of the clips being adjustable, they can be setfor accurate horizontal alignment even though the bottom of the trailermay have irregularities such as caused by warped or uneven plywoodholding insulation against the bottom of the trailer.

As indicated by FIIGS. 4, 6 and 7, it is possible to dispose the uppersurfaces of the ears '52 on lower attaching clips I50 in engagement withthe lower surfaces on the ears 56 on upper attaching clips 50; and,where that is done, the inner portion of the notch 58 will actuallyextend below the level of the inner portion of the notch 54, as shownparticularly by FIG. 7. Such an arran-gement permits the lower edge ofan upper panel 98 to overlie the uppermost edge of the next-lower panel.However, if desired, the attaching clips 50 can be assembled with theposts 22 to provide spaces between adjacent ears 52 and 56 of adjacentattaching clips. It will be noted that where the ears 52 and 56 abuteach other, as shown by FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, the notch y58 in the ear 56will be spaced yforwardly of the notch 54 in the ear '52. That spacingwill hold the lower edge of each panel forwardly of the upper edge ofthe next lower panel-thereby enabling the skirting to breathe whilekeeping rain, sleet or snow from penetrating that skirting.

Where the length of each post 22 is slightly greater than an evenmultiple of the length of an attaching clip 50, a number of attachingclips 50 can be set in tandem relation, and an attaching clip 70 willnot be needed. However, where the length of each post 22 materiallyexceeds a multiple of the length of the attaching clip 50, an attachingclip 70 will be used as the lowermost attaching clip.

yOnce the various attaching clips have been secured to the various posts22 by the self-tapping screws 74, the nuts 718 and the wing bolts 80will be set at desired distances from the lower ends of those posts; andthe helical compression springs 94 will be telescoped into the sleeves40 of those posts, and the upper ends of the rods 82 will be telescopedinto the lower ends of those springs. The closer those nuts and wingbolts are set to those lower ends, the greater will be thedownwardly-directed bias which those helical compression springs applyto the rods v82; and, conversely, the further those nuts and wing boltsare spaced from those lower ends, the smaller will be thedownwardly-directed bias which those springs apply to those rods. As theupper ends of the rods 82 are telescoped within the lower ends of thehelical compression springs 94, the ears 92 on those rods will force thelower ends of those springs upwardly within the sleeves 40, as shownparticularly by FIG. 6. The resulting restorative forces within thosesprings will apply downwardly-directed forces to those rods.

It should be noted that, while this design readily facilitates doing theforegoing assembly at the job site, the aforedescribed componentsalternatively may be factory assembled with only the panels to beinstalled at the job site.

'Ihe prongs 44 at the upper ends of the posts 22 will then be forcedinto the material which denes the lower edge 20 of the mobile home, asshown particularly by FIGS. 3-5; and those prongs will x the positionsof the upper ends of the panel supports relative to the lower edge ofthat mobile home. Usually, the panel supports will be spaced apart aboutforty inches, so that each ten foot panel will be supported by fourattaching clips. With the downwardly-bent corners 88 of the feet 86penerating the ground and the rods y82 vertical, the rods 82 areextended to force the prongs 44 into the material which defines thelower edge 20 of the mobile home.

After the panel supports have been installed, the corner panels 123, andany corner panels corresponding to the panel 130, should be installed.The uppermost comer panels should be installed first, and then eachsuccessivelylower corner panel should be installed. With an eightfootwide mobile home, the corner panels will be set so the four-footportions thereof extend toward and lap each other to close the ends ofthe space between the lower edge of that mobile home and the ground.With a ten-foot wide mobile home, the corner panels will be set so thefour-foot portions of some corner panels will extend toward and lap thesix-foot portions of other corner panels to close the ends of the spacebetween the lower edge of that mobile home and the ground. With atwelve-foot wide mobile home, the corner panels will be set so thesix-foot portions thereof extend toward and llap each .other to closethe ends of the space between the lower edge of that mobile home and theground.

In installing the corner panels, those panels will be bowed to enablethe anchoring portions 114 thereof to extend into the notches 54 definedby the reentrant bends of the ears 52 of the attaching clips, and toenable the anchoring portions 122 thereof to extend into the notches 58defined by the reentrant bends of the ears 56 of those attaching clips.

Once al1 of the corner panels havey been secured to the posts 22, byhaving the anchoring portions thereof inserted in the notches of theattaching clips mounted on those posts, straight panels will then havethe anchoring portions thereof disposed in the notches in the variousattaching clips. The ends of the straight panels will lap the ends ofthe corner panels, and adjacent ends of straight panels will lap eachother. This lapping is possible because each of the notches 54 isdimensioned to accommodate the lapped anchoring portions 114 of twopanels; and each of the notches 58 is dimensioned to accommodate thelapped anchoring portions 122 of two panels. Similarly, each of thenotches 62 is dimensioned to accommodate the arcuate lower portions 134of two panels 130 or of two corner panels similar to the panel 130.

The skirting constitutes an ornamental and attractive enclosure for thespace between the lower edge of the mobile home and the ground; and itwill conceal the jacks for, and the wheels of, that mobile home. Thatskirt will entrap a body of essentially quiet air immediately adjacentthe bottom of the mobile home, and thus will minimize drafts through thespace between that bottom and the ground. Consequently, the oor of thatmobile home can be kept much warmer than could the floor of a mobilehome which was not equipped with skirting.

The anchoring portions 114 overlie and confront the shoulders 53 withinthe notches 54; and the anchoring portions 122 underlie and confront theshoulders 57 within the notches 5S. In the event a strong wind is ableto bow one or more of the panels, and is thereby able to make the upperand lower edges of said one or more panels tend to withdraw from thenotches 54 and 58, respectively, the anchoring portions 114 and 122 atthose edges will tend to engage the shoulders 53 and 57 respectively,within those notches. Any engagement between an anchoring portion 114and a `shoulder 53 will substantially completely prevent accidentalseparation of the upper edge of a panel from the attachingclip holdingthat panel; and, similarly, any engagement between an anchoring portion122 and a shoulder 57 will substantially completely prevent accidentalseparation of the lower edge of a panel from the attaching clip holdingthat panel. As a result, the anchoring portions 114 and 122 can coactwith the shoulders 53 and 57, respectively, to prevent accidentalseparation of the panels from the panel supports, even when high windsapply substantial bowing forces to those panels. Also, since the ears 56are relatively long,

1 1` they will 'ex upwardly somewhat under the force of outwardlydirected winds, thereby closing the space between the notches 54 and 58as the panels bow. This further improves the holding characteristics ofthe assembly under strong wind conditions.

It will be noted that the panels are secured to the panel supportswithout any need of tools. Further, it will be noted that the panelsupportscan be secured to the lower edge of .a mobile home without anyneed of tools. Consequently, the skirting provided by the presentinvention can be installed easily and quickly.

If desired, the nut 78 and the wing bolt 80 could be dispensed with. Insuch event, the partially closed upper end of the sleeve 40, which isshown by FIG. 7, would serve to receive and hold the upper end of thehelical compression spring 94. The use of a nut 78 and a wing bolt 80 ispreferred; because it permits a shorter helical compression spring 94 tobe used, and it permits the force applied by that spring to be adjusted.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown anddescribed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made inthe form of the invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A skirting for the space between the ground and the lower edge of amobile home which comprises:

a plurality of panels, each including a plurality of angularly relatedsections across its width, the angularly related sections in the lowerhalf of each panel being so disposed relative to each other that thelower edge of each panel is the lowermost portion of said panel and theangularly related sections in the upper half of each panel being sodisposed relative to each other that the upper edge of each panel is theuppermost portion of said panel,

a plurality of longitudinally spaced panel supports for said panels,

said panel supports including posts,

a plurality of attaching clips secured to the post of each of said panelsupports,

said attaching clips having upper ears thereon with reentrant bends toreceive and hold the upper edges of said panels and having lower earsthereon with reentrant ,bends to receive and hold the lower edges ofsaid panels,

said panel supports extending between, and receiving support from, saidlower edge of said mobile home and said ground,

said panels having the upper edges thereof extending generallyvertically upwardly of said panels and extending into and being held bysaid reentrant bends of said upper ears of said attaching clips,

said panels having the lower edges thereof extending generallyvertically downwardly of said panels and extending into and being heldby said reentrant bends of said lower ears of said attaching clips,

whereby said panels effectively span said space between said lower edgeof said mobile homeand said ground.

2. A skirting as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower ears of saidattaching clips extend forwardly and downwardly of said upper ears ofthe next-lower attaching clips, whereby the lower edges of said panelsare spaced forwardly and downwardly of the upper edges of saidnext-lower panels to enable said skirting to breathe while essentiallykeeping rain, sleet and snow from penetrating saidl skirting.

3. A skirting as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower ears of saidattaching clips are in register with and abut said upper ears of thenext-lower attaching clips, and wherein said lower ears of saidattaching clips are longer than and extend downwardly below the upperears of the next-lower attaching clips.

4. A skirting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower CII ears 'of saidattaching clips are in register with and abut l the upper ears of thenext-lower attaching'elips, whereby said upper and lower earsautomatically provide the desired positioning for said attaching clipsrelative to said panel supports.

5. A skirting as claimedr in claim 1 wherein some of said attachingclips are about-onefhalf the lengths of other of said attachingfclipsandare adapted to hold panels about one-half the widths of other ofsaid. panels,

6. A skirting as claimed in Vclaimvl wherein some of said attachingclips areabout one-half the lengths of other of said attaching clips andare adapted to hold panels about one-half the widths of other of saidpanels, and wherein said some attaching clips are essentially similar tothe upper portions of said other attaching clips.

7. A skirting for the space between the ground and the lower edge of amobile home which comprises:

a plurality or panels, Y

a plurality of longitudinally spaced panel Isupports for said panels,and

attaching clips secured to posts of said panel supports, i.

said posts having channel-like. spaces ytherein. to accommodate saidattaching clips, said posts having lips, at the sides of saidchannellike spaces, which overlie portions of said attaching i clips,said attaching clips having rebent upper ears thereon which extendoutwardly of said channel-like spaces and between said lips and receivethe upper terminal edges of said panels, said attaching clips haverebent lower ears thereon which extend outwardly of said channel-likespaces and between said lipsA and receive the lower terminal edges ofsaid panels, said panel supports extending between, and receivingsupport from, said lower edge of said mobile home and said ground, saidpanels being secured to said panel supports by said attaching clips toelfectively span said space between said lower edge of said mobile homeand said ground. v 8. A skirting as claimed in claim 7 wherein the upperears of said attaching clips incline forwardly and upwardly above thelevels of the upper edges of said attaching clips and wherein the lowerears of said attaching clips incline forwardly and downwardly below thelevels of the lower edges of said attaching clips, said lower ears ofsaid attaching clips being longer and extending further forwardly anddownwardly of said attaching clips than the upper ears of said attachingclips, whereby the lower edges of said panels are spaced furtherforwardly of said attaching clips than are the upper edges of saidpanels and are disposed below the upper edges of the next-lower panels.

9. A skirting as claimed in claim 7 wherein said posts have elongatedslots therein in communication with said channel-like spaces, saidelongated slots accommodating the shanks of self-tapping screws thatextend through opening in said attaching clips and bite intofthe wallsof said elongated slots to secure said attaching clips to said` posts.10. A skirting as claimed in claim 7 wherein abutments restrict theupper ends of Vsaid channel-like spaces of said posts, said abutmentspreventing separation of said attaching clips from saidposts via said`upper ends of said channel-like spaces.

11. A skirting for the-space between the ground and thelower edge of amobile home which comprises:

a pluralityof panels, l Y a pluralityV of longitudinally spaced panelsupport for said panels, v attaching clips secured to postsrof saidpanel supports,

said posts having channelflike spaces therein to ac,.

commodate said attaching clips,

said posts having lips, at the sides ofsaid channel-like spaces, whichoverlie ,portions of said attaching clips, f Y

said attaching clips having rebent upper ears thereon which extendoutwardly of said channel-like spaces and between said lips and receivethe upper terminal edges of said panels,

said attaching clips having rebent lower ears thereon which extendoutwardly of said channel-like spaces and between said lips and receivethe lower terminal edges of said panels,

said panel supports extending between, and receiving support from, saidlower edge of said mobile home and said ground,

said panels being secured to said panel supports by said attaching clipsto effectively span said space between said lower edge of said mobilehome and said ground,

said panel supports including posts with elongated recesses therein,helical compression springs within said elongated recesses, and rodswhich have the upper ends thereof disposed within said elongatedrecesses and within the lower ends of said helical compression springsand have the lower ends thereof projecting downwardly below the lowerends of said posts.

12. A skirting as claimed in claim 11 wherein said upper ends of saidrods extend several inches into the lower ends of said helicalcompression springs, thereby enabling said upper ends of said rods toreceive adequate lateral support from said helical compression springsand from said posts even when said lower ends of said helicalcompression springs are immediately adjacent said lower ends of saidposts.

13. A skirting as claimed in claim 11 wherein said rods have stopsthereon spaced several inches below the upper ends of said rods, saidstops being dimensioned to telescope freely within said recesses in saidposts but not to telescope within said helical compression springs, saidstops enabling said rods to reciprocate freely within said recesses insaid posts, said stops applying the restorative forces within saidhelical compression springs to said rods.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,709,841 6/ 1955 Knabeschult52-78 3,327,310 6/1967 Bethline et al. 248-356 324,499 8/ 1885 Taylor52-547 1,829,976 11/1931 Bennett 52-385 2,859,494 11/ 1958 Hull 52-2222,859,840 11/1958 Fantle 52--122 3,313,075 4/1967 Bachmeier 52--2223,347,009 10/ 1967 Meddick 52-545 3,383,819 4/1968 Zimmer 52--4833,451,180 6/ 1969 Straben 52-222 FOREIGN PATENTS 143,175 12/ 1953Sweden.

HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

